Girish Mahajan (Editor)

Centreville High School (Fairfax County, Virginia)

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School type
  
Public, high school

Principal
  
Dave Bagels

Phone
  
+1 703-802-5400

Founded
  
1988

Superintendent
  
Dr. Karen Garza

Staff
  
247

Mascot
  
Wildbats

Centreville High School (Fairfax County, Virginia)

Motto
  
"What in school education"

School district
  
Fairfax County Public Schools

Address
  
6001 Union Mill Rd, Clifton, VA 20124, USA

District
  
Fairfax County Public Schools

Similar
  
Fairfax County Public Sc, Westfield High School, Herndon High School, Bush Hill Elementary School, Stonewall Jackson High Sch

Centreville High School (CVHS) is a public high school located in unincorporated southwestern Fairfax County, Virginia, United States, north of the town of Clifton and east of the Centreville CDP. Having opened in 1988 to serve the rapidly growing population of the Clifton/Centreville region, CVHS is the top of the Centreville High School Pyramid in Region 4 of the Fairfax County Public School (FCPS) system. In 2010 the school was ranked as the 4th best high school in Fairfax County, and the 18th best high school out of 172 schools rated in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. On a national level, in 2010 CVHS was ranked as the 130th best of all high schools in the United States.

Contents

Centreville High School currently enrolls 2350 students in grades 9-12. The school's students work with 150 faculty and staff members, with the population divided between four sub-schools. The school colors are Columbia blue, black, and silver. The school is within the Clifton, Virginia zip code jurisdiction, but its physical location is closer to the unincorporated community of Centreville. Residents of the town of Clifton attend a high school east of Centreville.

History

In the early 1980s construction of an intermediate school serving grades 7 and 8 was proposed for Braddock Park to deal with the westward population shift in the county. Funds for the construction of the proposed Braddock Park Intermediate School were included as part of the $57.2 million school bond issue approved by a voter referendum on November 3, 1981, with the intent of the school opening in 1984.

However, fluctuating enrollment figures led the Fairfax County School Board to consider delaying construction of Braddock Park Intermediate school for a 1988 opening before finally voting on January 13, 1983 on a compromise that would see the school open in 1986.

By April 1984, Superintendent William J. Burkholder was recommending that a high school should be constructed instead of an intermediate school. Burkholder's plan was that the school would open as an intermediate school in 1988, and gradually transition to becoming a high school. This change required the addition of 10 acres to the 25-acre school site to comply with state high school property requirements.

$43.2 million of the $74.87 million school bond issue approved by a voter referendum on November 6, 1984 was earmarked for construction of what was then called Braddock Park High School, as well as several elementary schools.

In 1986, the $22.6 million contract for construction of the school was awarded to A.S. McGaughan Company. Construction of the school was temporarily shut down in August 1987 following the discovery of cancer-causing mineral asbestos in the soil. Despite early reports that the asbestos was not dangerous, it was later discovered that a large amount of the soil in Western Fairfax County is contaminated with fibrous asbestos.

In March 1988, the Fairfax County School Board set the enrollment area for the new school, based on the plan of Springfield district board member Anthony Cardinale following controversy over the plan submitted by Superintendent Robert R. Spillane.

The school board voted to name the new high school Centreville High School at its May 12, 1988 meeting, rejecting the Braddock Park name as a source of potential confusion with Lake Braddock Secondary School, although the chosen name was also the source of controversy due to Centreville being the poorer of the two communities (the other being wealthy Clifton) served by the new high school, with a reputation of being "a redneck burg".

Despite the controversy, it was as Centreville High School that the new school opened in the Fall of 1988 with a class of slightly over 1000 seventh through tenth graders. Over the next few years, the seventh and eighth grades were phased out and Centreville finally had a complement of ninth through twelfth grades.

Demographics

The CVHS population includes students who were born in 84 different countries.

In the 2010-12 school year, Centreville High School's student body was 41.61% White, 31.12% Asian, 14.00% Hispanic, 9.28% Black and 3.99% Other.

In her column from September 10, 2010—the day before the 9th anniversary of 9/11—Washington Post columnist Petula Dvorak highlighted Centreville's diversity, referring to it as an example of how racial and ethnic tolerance should be celebrated.

Test scores

Centreville High School is a fully accredited high school based on the Standards of Learning tests in Virginia. The average SAT score in 2010 for Centreville was 1,596 (525 in Critical Reading, 550 in Math, and 521 in Writing). The average ACT score in 2010 was 22.9. Both SAT and ACT scores exceeded state and national average test scores.

Advanced Placement Data

  • 2031 Advanced Placement (AP) tests were administered in the 2009-2010 school year.
  • 932 students were enrolled in AP classes.
  • CVHS students exceeded collective National Average Passing rates in 2009 (most recent data) by 8% overall; the school exceeded collective Virginia State Passing rates by 5%.
  • Specific disciplines exceeded by CVHS's population with respect to the National Passing rates include Calculus AB, exceeded by 24%; Statistics, exceeded by 27%; U.S. Government, exceeded by 24%; World History, exceeded by 34%; Physics, exceeded by 8%; Studio 3D Art, exceeded by 38%; and French, exceeded by 45%.
  • Theatre Centreville

    Centreville's theatre program, currently directed by Mike Hudson, has won awards, including Cappies in several categories. The Cappie awards held by Centreville Theatre:

  • Anthony Ingargiola, Supporting Actor in a Musical, "Working", 2011
  • Best Song, Confrontation, Jekyll and Hyde, 2007
  • Nate Betancourt, Lead Actor in a Musical, Jekyll and Hyde, 2007
  • Sarah Villyard, Lead Actress in a Musical, Fame, 2004
  • Eric St. Peter, Lead Actor In a Play, "Rumors", 2003
  • Best Play, Rumors, 2003
  • Tony Moreno, Cameo Actor in a Musical, "The Mystery of Edwin Drood", 2001
  • Ali Miramany, Best Male Vocalist, "The Mystery of Edwin Drood", 2001
  • Best Musical, The Mystery of Edwin Drood, 2001
  • Nicole McCarthy, Best Sound, "Macbeth", 2000
  • Centreville's theatre (the Roy A. "Skip" Maiden Theater, named for the first theatre teacher) has a seating capacity of 601 people. Centreville's program began in 1988 under the direction of Roy A. "Skip" Maiden. This program won the first State Championship for the school in Theater and went on to represent the State of Virginia at the Southeastern Theater Conference and placed there as well. Two years later, the Centreville Theater again won the top prize in the State of Virginia for an original work entitled, "Alpha and Omega" written and produced by Centreville Theater students Darren Biggs and Jon Janis the prior year in 1994, and remounted with new direction by Roy A. "Skip" Maiden. The play then went on to win the Southeastern Theater Conference of 1995.

    Centreville Choir

    The Centreville Choral Department, directed by Lynne L. Babcock, consists of students in six different choral ensembles, spanning from grade 9 to 12: Men's Ensemble (Beginning Men's Chorus), Women's Ensemble (Beginning Women's Chorus), Concert Choir (Intermediate Mixed Chorus), Bella Voce (Intermediate/Advanced Women's Ensemble), Symphonic Choir (Advanced Mixed Chorus), and the Madrigal Ensemble (Advanced, extracurricular, mixed ensemble).

    In November 2008, Centreville's Symphonic Choir performed at the Virginia Music Educators (VMEA) State Conference in Hot Springs, Virginia. Symphonic Choir was chosen based on a competitive audition process, sending in three selections. This is the first time in Centreville's history that the department and school were honored at the annual VMEA conference.

    Athletics

    Centreville High School is categorized as an AAA-class high school, as defined by the Virginia High School League. It belongs to the Concorde District of the Northern Region.

    Centreville has athletic teams in 28 different sports. Men's Sports include: Baseball, Basketball, Cross Country, Football, Golf, Ice Hockey (club), Indoor Track/Field, Lacrosse, Outdoor Track/Field, Soccer, Swim/Dive, Tennis and Wrestling. Women's Sports include: Basketball, Cheerleading, Cross Country, Dance Team, Field Hockey, Golf, Gymnastics, Indoor Track/Field, Lacrosse, Outdoor Track/Field, Soccer, Softball, Swim/Dive, Tennis, and Volleyball.

    The school's athletic program is one of the most storied and successful in the Washington D.C. metro area, with both individuals and teams earning titles and championship berths across its sports program since 1991.

    Notable Accomplishments:

    In 2000, Centreville won the Virginia AAA Division 6 State Football Championship under Fairfax Hall of Fame football coach Mike Skinner. Two players from the 2000 Wildcat football team enjoyed careers in the NFL: Marcus Hamilton (Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Chicago Bears) and Will Montgomery (Carolina Panthers, New York Jets, Washington Redskins, Chicago Bears).

    In 2011, Centreville finished runner-up for the Virginia AAA Division 6 Football State Championship. They were defeated by Oscar Smith 47-21. During the season the Wildcats won their 4th Virginia AAA Northern Region Division 6 Championship by defeating Westfield 27-24 and set a then-school record for wins in a season (13). Head Coach Chris Haddock was named the Washington Redskins High School Football Coach of the Year after the season.

    Also during the 2011 season, defensive lineman Ken Ekanem was named Virginia's Co-Defensive Player of the Year and was named as a Washington Post All-Met for the second consecutive season. On February 1, 2012 he committed to play football at Virginia Tech.

    In 1995, Centreville won the Virginia AAA State Softball Championship. They defeated Mills Godwin High School 6-1.

    More State Champions:

  • Boys 3200m Run, Indoor Track/Field, 2010—Yazid Zouaimia
  • Girls Cross Country Team, 1995 and 1996
  • Girls Indoor Track/Field, 1994 and 1995
  • Girls Lacrosse, 2000 and 2001
  • Girls Outdoor Track/Field, 1993 and 1996
  • The Baseball team won the regular season district championship in 2010, their first in school history.

    Ryan Ashooh and Cameron Walter were named to the First Team All-Met Team in 2010. Ryan Ashooh was also awarded back-to-back Concorde District Pitcher of the Year (2008-2010.)

    In 2000 and 2001, Centreville won the unofficial Lacrosse State Championship.

    In 2016, Centreville's boys lacrosse team won the official State Championship, beating Robinson 11-10 in overtime.

    In 2001, Centreville won the AAA Concorde District Basketball Championship. The team posted a school record 17-game winning streak during the regular season.

    Centreville's Men's Track team began taking notice with sprinter/hurdler Rickey Harris (1997-2000.) Harris recorded the nations top times in the 400 meters, 400m hurdles and 110m hurdles, earning All-America honors in each event as a senior at Centreville. He set the Virginia state record in the 60m hurdles as a senior, and set state records in the 110m hurdles, 400m hurdles and 55m hurdles as a sophomore and a junior. He also owns the #2 all-time mark in the 400m hurdles and #1 mark in the 60m hurdles as a high schooler. Harris was named 2000 Prep Athlete of the Year by Track & Field News.

    In 2001-2002 Centreville's Men's Track team won the Indoor Concorde District, Northern Region, and were runner up in the AAA Virginia State meet. The men's 4x200 and 4X400 relays set schools records and were one of top relay teams in the East Coast.

    Centreville's Men's Track team swept the Concorde District winning the Indoor and Outdoor Track and Field AAA Concorde District titles in 2005. The indoor team also won the AAA Concorde District and AAA Northern Region titles in the winter of 2006. In 2007, the Men's team won its third consecutive AAA Concorde District title.

    The Women's Soccer team made it to the semi-finals of the VHSL state tournament after beating Lake Braddock Secondary School for the Northern Region title.

    Centreville has one of the largest high school football stadiums in the county. Centreville's stadium, named after William E. Trussell, Jr., the school's first principal, has capacity seating of about 7,000.

    During the 2008-2009 season, Centreville Men's Basketball advanced to the Northern Region Tournament for the 1st time since the 2000-2001 season with a 1st round Concorde District Tournament victory over Robinson Secondary School.

    During the 2011-2012 Men's Basketball season, the team won its first Northern Region Tournament game since 2001 by defeating Washington-Lee in the first round. They finished the season as one of the top eight teams in the region.

    Warren Denny was named the Concorde District Boys Basketball Co-Player of the Year in 2009-2010. Warren was also named to the First Team All Northern Region Team.

    Colin Miller (Class of 2006) won the Virginia State Heavyweight wrestling title. He signed a letter of intent to play football at Central Michigan University.

    The Women's Field Hockey team captured the Concorde District Championship for six straight seasons (1998–2003) and won the Northern Region Championship in 2000 and 2001.

    The Centreville Women's Soccer team captured the Concorde District Championship for four straight seasons (2004, 2005, 2006, 2007). The team won the Northern Region Championship in 2006 and 2007 and advanced to the VHSL State Semi-finals both of those years.

    Ken Ekanem (class of 2012) was named the Northern Region Defensive Player of the Year during the 2011-2012 season.

    The Wildcat Varsity Football Team defeated rival Westfield High School 27-24 to win the Northern Region Championship in 2011. This was the first victory over Westfield since 2001. The team went on to the play in the Virginia Division 6 AAA state championship game where they lost to Oscar Smith 47-21. The team finished the season with a record of 13-2.

    Centreville's Varsity Football team finished with a 15-0 season, avenging their defeat in 2011 against Oscar Smith in the Virginia 6 AAA state championship game with a score of 35-6. The team also included two Washington Post All-Mets, Chad Wiggins and Aj Turner, as well as many D1 players that included Turner who was committed to the University of South Carolina, running back Taylor Boose who is committed to the University of Cincinnati, and offensive tackle Justin Skule who is committed to the University of Vanderbilt.

    Tyler Love (Class of 2015) won the Virginia State wrestling title for the 195-pound weight class. He signed a letter of intent to wrestle at the University of Virginia.

    They entered the 2014 football season ranked #7 in the country; however, #22 Gonzaga came into Centreville week one and defeated them 31-14. The season ended with a 12-3 record as they made it to the Virginia 6A state championship game before losing to Ocean Lakes 30-24 in overtime.

    Notable alumni

  • Jaycen Armstrong, Emmy award winning producer based in Los Angeles.
  • Jayson Blair, former New York Times journalist found to have plagiarized his articles.
  • Christopher Brian "Chris" Bridges, better known as Ludacris, rapper, entrepreneur, and actor.
  • Lindsay Czarniak, attended James Madison University and is currently a sports reporter for ESPN in Bristol, Connecticut.
  • Will Montgomery, selected by the Carolina Panthers in the seventh round (234th overall) of the 2006 NFL Draft. Is currently playing for the Denver Broncos.
  • Marcus Hamilton, selected by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the seventh round (245th overall) of the 2007 NFL Draft.
  • Rickey Harris, track and field athlete who attended the University of Florida and was the 2002 NCAA men's 400m hurdles champion.
  • Bjorn Merten, All-American football player
  • References

    Centreville High School (Fairfax County, Virginia) Wikipedia